Reading is one of my two main hobbies, and while I don’t read nearly as much as I would like to, I do try to get at least a few chapters in every day. I’m someone who can enjoy most genres, and I’m a little bit of a mood reader. Horror is one of my favourite and go-to genres, but I am just as happy to pick up a cheesy romance or a fantasy. This year I have been in a bit of a reading slump, especially since moving house (I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve only finished 1 book in September) and I thought it would help me to think back about some of my favourite books of the last few years to get me a bit more into a reading mood again.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
Back in 2024 my husband and I went to the Netherlands to celebrate the birth of my niece. We decided to take the train from London because up until that point we had only ever travelled by plane. I don’t quite remember how long the journey was, but I do remember packing a physical book and my kindle for the journey. The physical book of choice was Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which had been on my shelf for a while, waiting for the right time, and as it was quite a short book it seemed like the perfect read for on the train ride. I didn’t really know what to expect of the book, but the story had me on the edge of my seat from the start, and it was full of twists and turns that I had not expected. It was a 5-star read for me, and it’s one of those books I still think about all the time.
How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.
This book. Absolutely. Scared. The. Hell. Out. Of. Me. I’m not someone who is easily scared. I grew up on horror films and a mother whose favourite writer was Stephen King. I’ve always loved horror and it’s one of my favourite (if not my favourite of all time) genres in every type of media. I picked up this book after reading a few other works by Grady Hendrix, who had quickly become one of my favourite authors, and so it seemed like a safe bet, and it was! However, I have a very serious and severe phobia of dolls (I owe it all to growing up with my mother’s porcelain doll collection, I swear they were alive) and so the dolls/puppets in the book REALLY got to me. The book isn’t even scary, but the puppets made me so anxious that I am embarrassed to admit that I had to take some breaks. Pupkin is forever engraved onto my brain and the idea of him still keep me up at night.
Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell
A romantic cabin getaway doesn’t go exactly as planned. High up on the windswept cliffs of Pale Peak, Faye and Felix celebrate their new engagement. But soon, a chorus of ghastly noises erupts from the nearby the screams of animals, the cries of children, and the mad babble of a hundred mournful voices. A dark figure looms near the windows in the dead of night, whispering to Faye. As the weather turns deadly, Felix discovers that his terrified fiancée isn’t just mumbling in her sleep – she’s whispering back.
Do not read this book if you suffer from really bad insomnia, especially paired with sleep hallucinations. And especially do not read it while you’re all alone at night. It was recommended to me by a friend who told me that it was quite terrifying. Silly me thought it wouldn’t be so bad, but the book ended up terrifying me, and for quite a while after finishing it, had made my insomnia so much worse. There is a specific bit in the book that really got under my skin because it was exactly like a hallucination I’ve had myself during a really bad period of insomnia and sleep issues. Every so often when I am trying to fall asleep, especially when my husband is on night shift and I am all alone, the book pops into my head and awakens my sleep anxiety to the point that I won’t be able to sleep all night.
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest since Margot can remember. When Margot isn’t at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.
This book. THIS BOOK! It doesn’t happen very often, but I read this book within a day. The writing is so incredibly beautifully done, it had me in a trance as I read it. There were moments where I felt absolutely disgusted, moments where I cried, and moments that I felt really uncomfortable, but this book has stayed with me, and even though it’s been about a year since I read it, I still think about it daily. I’ve been trying to get my husband to read it (he’s a bookworm in the making), and it is honestly my go-to recommendation at the moment. The book isn’t exactly scary, but it does keep you at the edge or your seat, and it was my favourite book of 2025.
As I said earlier, I have only finished one book this month, and I have to admit, it wasn’t a great read. It was a “cosy murder mystery” which I rated 3 stars. I’m hoping to get more reading done during October, but I am also very aware of the fact that I’ll be busy studying, so I don’t know how realistic that will be.
Nevertheless, I’ve got my first book of October picked out and ready for tomorrow. I decided to go for a paranormal romance, Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison, as I read the first one in this “series”, (though I believe they are standalone books and you don’t have to read them in order) Good Spirits earlier this year and I ended up loving it so much that I pre-ordered Grim Tidings as soon as I had finished it.
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